Chapters 4 and 5 Summary

Stephen recalls his life as a child. They had moved several times because his father is in the military. He recalls a scene in which his mother had—impossibly—insisted that they have a nap in the middle of the day. He had become enamored with the idea that he could control sleep and so might be able to control other aspects of his life as well. There had been instances of anger, raised voices and thrown dishes, though Stephen feels some of these may have been his dreams rather than his reality. During their time in Africa, Stephen is happily absorbed in school, friends and time on the beach. He is later sent to boarding school and realizes that most of his life will be spent away from home from this point on.

Stephen rouses himself from these...